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Spain Emerges from a Two-Year Recession

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… Amid Effort to Add Jobs

MADRID – Spain emerged from a two-year recession in the third quarter, strengthening Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s efforts to repair the nation’s finances and reduce the 26 percent jobless rate.

Gross domestic product expanded 0.1 percent from the second quarter, when it shrank 0.1 percent, and fell 1.2 percent from a year ago, the Madrid-based Bank of Spain estimated in its monthly bulletin today. The data, which are preliminary, matched the median estimate of 37 economists in a Bloomberg News monthly survey.

prime minister of spain, Mariano RajoySpain is crawling out of its second recession since 2008 as foreign investors are returning to the nation’s bond and stock markets. Signs of export-led economic growth may bolster Rajoy, half-way through his four-year term, as he tries to convince Spaniards that his unpopular austerity policies will allow the nation to leave the sovereign debt crisis behind it.

“We are optimistic on the euro periphery as a whole and Spain in particular,” said Robert Wood, an economist at Berenberg Bank, which forecasts growth of as much as 1.4 percent in 2014. “The country has made big structural changes, it’s been engaged in a lot of deficit reduction, business sentiment is improving and unemployment is probably close to a peak.”

Rajoy said today the recovery from the crisis, which destroyed 3.8 million jobs from the peak of the debt-fueled boom, would be “slow and gradual.”

Growth was driven by overseas sales as domestic demand fell 0.3 percent, the Bank of Spain said today. The decline in investment slowed and private consumption grew 0.1 percent from the previous quarter, when it was unchanged.

The spread between Spain’s 10-year borrowing costs and Germany’s has narrowed to less than half its peak in July 2012 and the government sold a new 30-year bond this month for the first time since 2009. The 10-year yield fell 6 basis points from yesterday to 4.15 percent at 11:.42 a.m. in Madrid, compared with a euro-era high of 7.75 percent last year.

Stocks have surged, with the Ibex-35 index of leading companies gaining 20 percent this year, and Banco Santander SA Chairman Emilio Botin said last week in New York “everyone” was interested in investing in Spain. Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates added to the optimism on Oct. 21 by buying a 6 percent stake in Spanish builder Fomento de Construcciones & Contratas SA, while Carrefour SA (CA) Chief Financial Officer Pierre-Jean Sivignon said last week there are signs of stabilization in Spain.
“A positive figure for Spain is a big deal from a psychological point of view because it’s the first in a number of quarters,” Ben May, a European economist at Capital Economics in London, said in a telephone interview.

Rajoy still needs to battle a debt burden that will approach 100 percent of economic output next year and the 56 percent youth jobless rate. Unemployment will remain above 25 percent until 2018, the International Monetary Fund forecasts.

In the three months through September, the decline in employment slowed “significantly” to 0.1 percent amid the country’s peak tourism season, the Bank of Spain said. The number of tourist visits through September reached 48.8 million, its highest level for the nine-month period since at least 2000, Spain’s tourism institute said yesterday.
Austerity Weighs

Rajoy is depending on exports to drive growth as austerity continues to hold back domestic demand. European Union peers have given him until 2016 to bring the deficit, which was the biggest in the euro region at 11 percent of GDP last year, to within the bloc’s 3 percent limit, amid the deepest cuts in Spain’s democratic history.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to be enough to solve Spain’s existing problems as companies need a period of reasonably solid growth to hire and that’ll take a while,” May said.
Spanish export growth is slowing, data from the Economy Ministry showed today. Exports rose 3.8 percent in August from a year earlier, compared with a pace of 8 percent in the first half.

While Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro yesterday said Spain is close to generating enough growth to create jobs, the IEE, a research institute linked to the country’s largest business lobby CEOE, this week called on the government to deepen spending cuts and lower taxes to help companies.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast unemployment in the three months through September will decline to 26.1 percent from 26.3 percent. The National Statistics Institute will publish the quarterly data tomorrow at 9 a.m.

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Dangote Calls Refinery IPO ‘People’s IPO’ as N2.15tn Offer Opens

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President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has described the Initial Public Offering of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as a “People’s IPO” as the N2.15tn offer officially opened on the Nigerian Exchange on Monday.

Dangote sounded the gong at the NGX trading floor in Lagos to formally open the offer, marking a major milestone for Nigeria’s capital market.

The IPO comprises 4.1 billion new ordinary shares priced at N525 per share, with a minimum subscription of 10 shares valued at N5,250.

RELATED NEWS: BREAKING: Dangote Refinery IPO Subscription Surpasses ₦1.4trn as Investor Demand Soars

The offer, which opened on September 14, 2026, is scheduled to close on October 13, 2026, subject to the terms contained in the prospectus.

Speaking after sounding the gong, Dangote said the offering was aimed at widening public participation in the ownership of the refinery.

“We fully share all our prosperity with the people. That’s why we call this ‘People’s IPO’. We know the journey has actually just started.

“It’s not only about the refinery.”

The Dangote Refinery IPO is the first refinery offering to investors on the Nigerian stock market in the 66-year history of the Nigerian Exchange.

The offer is open to retail, institutional and eligible African investors, providing members of the public with an opportunity to acquire an interest in one of Africa’s largest industrial projects.

Dangote also disclosed that the IPO was part of a broader plan by the Dangote Group to list more of its companies on the capital market.

He said the group intended to list every company that would operate under its umbrella in the future.

“We, as a group, will list every single company that will operate. I don’t know about the others, but I know our own market cap, even at a 10 times P/E ratio by 2030, should not be less than $350 billion,” he said.

The businessman added that the Nigerian Exchange would provide a platform for the group to pursue listings on other international exchanges.

“From this exchange, then we can go to any other place.

“So, Nigeria and Africa is our base. We want to make sure that we join our continent.”

The Dangote Refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, has been positioned as a major investment in Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity and efforts to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products.

The opening ceremony was attended by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, NGX Group Chairman Umaru Kwairanga, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Zenith Bank founder Jim Ovia and other dignitaries.

The N2.15tn IPO will remain open until October 13, 2026, subject to the terms contained in the prospectus.

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Nigeria Meets OPEC Quota for Fourth Consecutive Month

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A 0.4 percent increase from the 1.67 million bpd recorded in July saw Nigeria’s crude and condensate production rise to 1,677,777 barrels per day in August 2026.

The growth, disclosed in a statement by Head, Media and Corporate Communications, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Eniola Akinkuotu, on Sunday.

Another interesting aspect of the report is that it shows Nigeria’s consistent compliance with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) crude oil quota for the fourth consecutive month.

READ ALSO: Rufai Oseni Row: NiDCOM Breaks Silence on Nigerians Detained in India, Addresses Ekene’s Case

According to the regulator, crude oil production, excluding condensates, stood at 1,500,190 barrels per day in August.

The report revealed that Nigeria meeting her OPEC quota for the fourth consecutive month, reflects continued efforts by operators to restore affected production capacity and address operational bottlenecks.

The latest increase followed the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring at the Erha field, which had affected production performance in the preceding month.

The NUPRC said the restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to the overall output recorded during the month.

The statement read, “The NUPRC attributed the modest improvement in August production largely to the resolution of the Single Buoy Mooring operational challenges at the Erha field, which had adversely impacted production performance in the preceding month.

“The restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes during the period under review.”

The regulator added that production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators sustaining measures aimed at improving efficiency, maintaining asset integrity and reducing operational disruptions.

According to the commission, the lowest daily crude oil and condensate production recorded in August was 1.64 million bpd, while the highest stood at 1.71 million bpd.

A breakdown of production by terminals and streams showed that the Bonny Terminal recorded the highest average output during the month, accounting for 320.04 thousand bpd.

Forcados Terminal followed with 317.40 thousand bpd, while the Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average of 171.72 thousand bpd of crude oil and condensates.

Escravos Oil Terminal posted a daily average of 131.71 thousand bpd, while Bonga ranked fifth among the leading producing terminals with an average of 92.50 thousand bdp of crude oil.

The August output represented an increase of 6,777 bpd from July’s 1,671,000 barrels per day, based on the rounded July figure. It was also 57,621 bpd, lower than the 1,735,398 bpd recorded in June.

The June figure represented a decline of about 3.3 per cent in August when compared with the latest available June production data.

The NUPRC said the August performance reflected the industry’s continued efforts to resolve operational constraints and restore affected production capacity.

It stated, “While the increase recorded in August was modest, it reflects the industry’s continued efforts to address operational bottlenecks and restore affected production capacity.

“Stakeholders remain focused on enhancing asset reliability, improving operational resilience and advancing intervention programs to support sustained production growth in the coming months.”

The regulator further emphasised the importance of timely intervention, effective asset management and collaboration among industry stakeholders in safeguarding the country’s crude oil production capacity.

Nigeria’s oil production has remained a major focus of government efforts to increase revenue, improve foreign exchange earnings and strengthen the country’s ability to meet its OPEC production quota.

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Dangote Elevates Micro Investors with IPO

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Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has assured small-scale investors eager to own equities through his refinery’s Initial Public Offering ((IPO) that they would be prioritised in the allocation of shares.

He delivered his message in Hausa during an interview with Abis Fulani, which was translated by Google Gemini, while discussing the planned IPO and its potential benefits to investors.

The interview was published on Thursday but gained traction on Saturday.

According to Dangote, retail investors seeking to buy shares worth N50,000, N100,000 and other smaller amounts would receive priority over large institutional investors.

READ ALSO: DPRP Set for Landmark IPO to Raise ₦2.15 Trillion

He said, “When you do something like this—what is called an IPO—all the small-scale investors are the ones who will be given priority first.

“The big institutional investors who request large allocations will not get everything they ask for. But the small retail investors who want to buy N50,000 worth, or some buying N100,000 worth, and so on, they are the ones who will be given priority allocations.”

He said the remaining shares would subsequently be distributed among investors.

On the potential value of the shares, Dangote said the current N525 price could increase substantially, projecting that it could eventually reach N10,000.

He said, “As I was saying, this share, if you look at it, we are currently at N525. A day will come when this share will reach N10,000.

“Therefore, if you hold it, having bought it, and it rises to N10,000, where you previously invested N5m, it will now be worth over N50m. You see, you have become wealthy.”

Dangote further said shareholders could choose to receive dividends in either naira or dollars, saying the option could help investors cope with currency depreciation.

He said the dollar option would be particularly useful to Nigerians with financial obligations abroad, including parents with children studying in the United Kingdom.

Dangote said, “The benefit of buying it is that holding this share will not prevent you from carrying out your regular work. You hold this share, and when dividends are paid, you won’t need to fear currency devaluation.

“That is because you can choose to receive your dividend in Naira or in Dollars. If you have a child studying at a school in England, for example, even if there is economic instability or currency devaluation—may God protect us—having this means what you receive is in Dollars.”

He recalled the sharp depreciation of the naira against the dollar, saying the exchange rate had risen from about N400 to the dollar to N1,800.

“So your child won’t have to… avoid exchange rate shocks, like when rates moved from N400 up to N1,800.

“Most children were brought back home as a result. So what we want to prevent is that kind of situation,” he said.

The Dangote Refinery IPO comprises 4.1 billion ordinary shares priced at N525 each. A full subscription is expected to raise about N2.15tn, while the minimum subscription is 10 shares, costing N5,250. The offer is scheduled to run from September 14 to October 13, 2026.

After the offer closes, applications will be processed and investors will be informed of their allotments. Applying for a particular number of shares does not guarantee that an investor will receive the full amount requested, particularly if the offer is oversubscribed.

The shares are expected to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange Main Board after the allotment process, after which their market price will be determined by demand and supply.

While Dangote projected that the shares could eventually reach N10,000, the N525 offer price does not guarantee a future market price or return.

The share price could rise or fall after listing depending on the company’s performance, investor sentiment, refining margins, demand and broader economic conditions.

The IPO proceeds are expected to support the refinery’s expansion, with the company planning to increase its refining capacity from about 650,000–700,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per day.

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